How Does Pesticide Increase Damage Caused by Pests?

If you’ve been experiencing a major pest problem in your garden, you might think that organic means are no longer working and want to use pesticides. Although they can be helpful in the garden, they can also create problems, such as increasing the damage caused by pests. Make sure you recognize the dangers of pesticides before using them.

Creating Pesticide Resistance

Pests often build up a resistance to pesticides, which means that they are no longer susceptible to its damaging effects. Because insects reproduce so rapidly, this can occur very quickly, making pesticides useless and increasing the amounts poured into the environment. There are now roughly 500 species of insects and mites resistant to pesticides, which means that there are fewer ways to control them. Don’t add to this problem by using pesticides when you do not have to.

Killing Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects also live in your garden and are often targeted by the same chemicals you use on pest insects. Beneficial insects may serve to control pests by eating them or by using them as hosts for their offspring. Because they are at the top of the food chain, there are fewer of them. When they are harmed by pesticides, they often recover more slowly than pest populations, resulting in an outbreak of pests. If you need to use pesticides, make sure that they are very specific in their targets.

Harming Plants

Sometimes people apply more pesticides than usual because they are hoping for an increased benefit or because the effect did not take hold the first time. If the application didn't work, however, it is not likely that you need more pesticide but instead is because of a misdiagnosis or an application at the wrong time of year. Applying pesticides incorrectly can harm the plant, and pesticides can stay in the roots and in the surrounding soil, and get into the produce you eat.

Affecting the Environment

Non-target organisms are often harmed by pesticide use. A non-target organism is one that a pesticide does not specifically aim for but which nonetheless gets hurt. These are often larger animals like fish, birds and wildlife. Moreover, you can do damage to the organisms in your own soil, many of which are beneficial. Because you don’t want to degrade your soil’s health, apply pesticides only according to package instructions.